Mar Vista’s “Great Streets” Needs an Economic Boost

(1 August 2019)”The ‘Great Streets’ project in Mar Vista on Venice Blvd has been so harmful to small businesses that Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, along with Councilman Mike Bonin, is now initiating a marketing outreach campaign in order to ‘bring economic vitality into the area,’ stated one recipient of the outreach letter.

Members of BAVN (Business Assistance Virtual Network) received a letter from Robert Park of the mayor’s office last week stating that the Mayor’s office is initiating a program to help attract small businesses to vacant properties in Mar Vista.

“We will be working with property owners, commercial real estate brokers, and prospective businesses to bring economic vitality into the area and create an inviting, safe, and vibrant ‘small town downtown’ to Mar Vista.”

These are the types of businesses they are looking for:

Restaurants / casual dining

Cafes / dessert parlors

Book stores

Pub / bars

Retail / Apparel

Health & Fitness (gyms, CrossFit, yoga studios, etc)

Beauty salons

Pet services and goods

Book stores

Flower shops

This is the profile they give for Mar Vista:

Just inland from the ocean, the Mar Vista community is a desirable residential area and popular leisure destination. It is a hub for LA’s walking and biking culture, attracting environmentally-conscious target customers, highly correlated with health and fitness. It’s close proximity to Venice Beach and the Abbott Kinney commercial district contributes a second market segment of creative target customers, highly correlated with engagement in music, arts and culture.

Contact Robert Park at Robert.Park@lacity.org to get connected with owners and brokers in the area.

Comments (5)

I can’t get family members who need help getting out of the car (and aren’t spry enough to ride a bicycle) to the curb very easily or safely. It’s a nightmare parking situation so I just don’t shop or visit there at all now.

If I were looking to put a business somewhere that’s the last stretch of street I’d consider, between the high rents, lowered foot traffic, and homeless encampments scaring away visitors to the area.

Then how do you explain the fact that there are no vacant storefronts there with the exception of Sam Johnsons Bookstore which just recently joined the growing trend of closed bookstores across the country?

No vacant storefronts? Aren’t Surfing Cowboys, 1/2 of Soaptopia, Pop Physique and Zataca’s all still empty. Isn’t Time Warp on the north side empty too? I’m sure there are at least 3 or 4 others but that’s what I can come up with right off the top of my head.

22 businesses closed in 2 years….yup, the road diet has been great for business!

Maybe also think about cleaning up the bum encampments that have exploded around the Mar Vista Post Office and around the CVS? Who would want to shop or eat around there if they have to step over feces, needles and debris?

With the increased traffic congestion, it’s stressful to drive and particularly stressful to park along that strip as you always have someone behind you and angry when trying to parallel park. I no longer shop/eat there for that reason. If anything, they should have kept the parking against the curb in a sort of parking lane like Santa Monica Bvld. that is apart from the main traffic flow, but then again that would not give the 10-20 bikers an hour their fully protected lane.

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